Vodka lemon chocolate truffles

Whatever kind of year you’ve had, and whatever kind of year you’re anticipating, we’re going to go right out on a limb here and suggest you’ll see it in with a drink in hand. Champagne is, of course, tradition—but it’s not the sort of thing you’ll want to spend the night on, even if this is a course of action you can afford. Vodka lemon on the other hand—well, there’s a drink you can stand by, for better or for worse, for richer or for poor, in sickness and in health… well, within reason.

So when Hayleigh Bazelya at Chocolicious was creating some new boozy truffles for the festive season, it seemed a good drink to add to the mix. “It’s a bit of a strong one,” she warns of the cocktail-cum-chocolate, laced with top quality vodka and enriched with fresh lemon juice and fresh lemon zest “to give your tongue a real tantalising”. Vodka lemon is such a popular drink I thought, why not incorporate it into a truffle?” With a satisfyingly snappy dark chocolate casing and a luxurious white chocolate ganache acting as a base for the vodka lemon, it’s quite the journey. “The combination really works to bring the flavours out.”

Hayleigh’s truffles are characteristically generous: both in size, and in ABV. This really is a very merry truffle. The steely vodka, spiked with bright, shimmering lemon, lifts the ganache, rendering it rich as opposed to sickly sweet. It’s a chocolate for 2018: for winter Olympics, royal weddings and the eventual arrival of spring time. It’s a drink, a sweet and a party, rolled into chocolate. Happy new year, from your dedicated Friday feeling team.